Television

Whoopi Goldberg isn’t completely healed, but the host returned to “The View” for the first time in over a month on Thursday morning and shared her story — surprising her co-hosts in the process. “This is my first foray out,” Goldberg said. “I’m not there yet, I know that. But the only way it’s going

Decades after the Chipmunks made their small-screen debut on CBS in 1961, Alvin, Simon and Theodore are still leaving an indelible mark on the television landscape and adhering to creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.’s original vision. “It was important to my dad that there be a show that was, hopefully, entertaining, but he wanted it to

Kurt Yaeger has ridden a BMX bike in the X Games and performed all his own stunts on shows like “Sons of Anarchy,” “Lethal Weapon” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.” He’s also a below-the-knee amputee, the result of a 2006 motorcycle crash that tore his pelvis in half, collapsed his lungs and shattered ribs. Despite his

After 60 years, Alvin and the Chipmunks are, as their catchy TV theme song perpetually promises, coming on stronger than ever before. Late last year, the harmonizing rodents with a penchant for hula hoops and harmonicas celebrated their sixth decade since their breakout hit “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” — a novelty tune

The midseason premiere of “Empire” on Wednesday night was down in the Nielsen ratings compared to the show’s last original episode. Airing at 8 p.m. on Fox, “Empire” drew a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.4 million viewers. That is down a little over 10% in both measures compared to the midseason finale in

March 14, 2019 8:30AM PT “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Thursday to a 16-count indictment accusing him of orchestrating a fake hate crime. Smollett appeared in court in Chicago to answer the indictment, which a grand jury returned last Friday. If convicted, the “Empire” star could face three years in prison, though it

Sixty-four percent of diverse writers working in television today have experienced bias, discrimination or harassment, including seeing their pitches rejected only for a non-diverse writer to pitch the same idea and get accepted, a new report finds. In addition to the 64% of diverse writers that experienced bias, discrimination and/or harassment, 58% said they experienced

New Netflix documentary series “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann,” about a missing girl whose case has sparked fevered speculation in Britain for more than a decade, is set to drop on the streaming platform Friday. The eight-part series is controversial and anticipated in equal measure, with the girl’s family suggesting it could hinder the long-running

March 13, 2019 7:00PM PT “Birds of Prey” actor Chris Messina is set to star in the YouTube series “Dark Cargo.” Ben Stiller and Nicky Weinstein will executive produce via their Red Hour Productions banner. Penned by Adam and Max Reid and directed by “The Girlfriend Experience’s” Lodge Kerrigan, the series is described as a

Howard Bragman, a longtime PR strategist and crisis manager, weighs in on the college admissions scandal that has ensnared “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and “Fuller House” actress Lori Loughlin. Neither actress is a client of Bragman’s. Seeing your spin doctor is just like seeing your medical doctor after a scary diagnosis: Everyone wants to

On-demand service Rakuten TV more than tripled its distribution in Europe in one fell swoop Wednesday, launching in more than 30 new territories, company founder and CEO Jacinto Roca has told Variety. The VOD player has partnered with several major smart-TV manufacturers for the rollouts and is also available over-the-top in the new countries, including

March 13, 2019 3:26PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Hulu begins streaming “Free Solo,” PBS launches its 32nd season of “POV,” and Comedy Central names Angelina Battista as vice president, brand creative.  EXECUTIVE NEWS Angelina Battista will take over as vice president of brand creative for Comedy Central. Josh Line, executive vice president of

Lori Loughlin appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, facing a charge of mail fraud in connection with the widespread college admissions bribery scheme. Judge Steve Kim set her bail at $1,000,000, the same amount as her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who is also being charged. Giannulli was not in court on

An undisclosed number of employees were laid off Wednesday at Viacom’s CMT cabler as part of the integration of the Nashville-based operation with the MTV group headed by Chris McCarthy. Among the senior executives leaving the cabler in the restructuring are marketing chief Anthony Barton and Nashville office head Suzanne Norman. Most of the pinkslips

When writer and executive producer Nick Antosca started working on his Hulu limited anthology series “The Act” about real-life mother/daughter duo Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the documentary about them (“Mommy Dead and Dearest”) was still evolving and therefore not yet available as source material. Instead, he focused on Michelle Dean’s 2016 Buzzfeed

March 13, 2019 12:31PM PT Shares of Viacom, Discovery and AMC Networks took at hit on Wednesday after DirecTV confirmed it has set two new low-cost skinny bundle packages that do not include any channels from those programmers. DirecTV Now has set new streaming skinny bundle options for $50 and $70, both of which do

March 13, 2019 12:00PM PT A series adaptation of the novel “An Anonymous Girl” is in the early development stages at USA Network, Variety has learned exclusively. eOne acquired the rights to the book prior to its publication in January. Written by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the best-selling book follows Jessica Farris, who signs up

Bob Fosse’s signature style as a director and choreographer was stripped-down and then askew, removing familiar excesses of movement or film language so that he might replace them with entirely new flourishes. Every chance he got, he traded cant and familiarity with an insinuating slinkiness, suggestive both of his vaudeville influences and of a creative

For six seasons on her ’90s daytime talk show, Rosie O’Donnell spoke openly about the struggles associated with her childhood. At the age of 10, she lost her mom Roseann to breast cancer, which shaped the rest of her life. In an upcoming book, “Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View’” by

March 13, 2019 10:30AM PT Mary Stuart Masterson has signed on for a lead role in the ABC legal drama pilot that hails from Hank Steinberg and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Variety has learned. The project follows Aaron (Nicholas Pinnock), a prisoner who becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his

Fox News Channel typically delivers news headlines and popular opinion programming. On Wednesday, the 21st Century Fox-owned had something else to send – a message. As dozens of prominent media buyers nibbled on Nutella crepes and mixed custom-made Bloody Marys, the cable-news outlet’s top executives and some of its best known anchors made a case

March 13, 2019 9:10AM PT After a season in which Colton Underwood performed an infamous fence jump, “The Bachelor” leapt over the competition to win the Tuesday ratings race for ABC. The show’s two-hour season finale recorded an average rating of 2.3 in the key demo of adults 18-49, and a tick over 8 million

Chef Jacques Pepin will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, NATAS announced Wednesday. “The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize both the excellence and vibrant diversity of daytime television programming,” said NATAS president & CEO Adam Sharp. “Chef Jacques Pepin epitomizes both, uniquely shaping the culinary genre which has

PARIS — Netflix Original Series “How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast),” BBC One-Canal Plus-HBO drama “Years & Years” and Amazon/Liberty Global order “The Feed” look like potential highlights at a 2nd Canneseries festival whose much enlarged U.S. presence also takes in Starz double-bill “The Rook” and “Now Apocalypse” and AMC’s “NOS4A2.” Added to the announced Canal

March 13, 2019 2:51AM PT Africa’s Okavango Delta will be seen in 8K after NHK greenlit a feature documentary on the African wildlife oasis. “Okavango” will be made by Icon Films, the U.K.-based shingle behind Animal Planet hit series “River Monsters,” alongside veteran natural history filmmaker Brad Bestelink’s Botswana-based Natural History Film Unit. Natural history filmmakers

Lionsgate Television has acquired the U.S. remake rights to “Veni Vidi Vici,” the hit Swedish comedy series about a struggling film director who decides to take a job in the adult entertainment industry and starts to live a double life The 10-part show was created for Nordic Entertainment Group’s Viaplay streaming service and has been

ABC has selected their next leading lady to be “The Bachelorette” for Season 15: Hannah B. Hannah Brown, who was a standout contestant on Colton Underwood’s season of “The Bachelor” was announced as “The Bachelorette.” On “After The Final Rose” following Underwood’s finale, Brown met the first group of her potential suitors, ahead of the

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the season finale of Colton Underwood’s season of “The Bachelor,” which aired on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Colton Underwood’s season of “The Bachelor” ended with a shocker: no proposal and no engagement. After Monday night’s episode, the finale picked up with Colton knocking on Cassie’s door,

March 12, 2019 4:11PM PT In a recasting, Tom Payne is now to set to topline the Fox drama pilot “Prodigal Son,” Variety has confirmed. The role was originally held by Finn Jones. Sources say the decision to recast the role came after the pilot’s first table read. This marks one of the first major recastings

Through his work with everyone from Tom Petty and Kanye West to Slayer and Johnny Cash and Adele, Rick Rubin is one of the very top producers of the past 35 years, spoken of in guru-like terms by virtually everyone who’s worked with him. Since he first burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s as